Photo by Cal Montnay from L.A. Times Photographic Collection at UCLA Library
In the photo above, on Easter Day, March 29, 1970, four young women dance amidst a crowd of 7,500 at the fourth Easter "Love-In" held at Elysian Park, just north of the intersection of Academy and Solano Canyon Roads.
These events were held during the period in which the Vietnam War raged. The term "Love-In" was first used by Los Angeles radio comedian Peter Bergman, who hosted the first Love-In at Elysian Park on Easter, March 26, 1967 (see L.A. Video below). That first event drew 4,000 people. A huge collection of photos of the orginal 1967 event can be found at Getty Images.
The last Easter Love-In at Elysian Park was held on April 11, 1971, drawing 6,500 people. Unfortunately, public attitudes had become increasingly hostile toward these counter-culture young people and police were happy to oblige. The event on that day reportedly came to an abrupt end when officers attempted to pursue a narcotics suspect into the Love-In crowd, resulting in celebrants hurling bottles back at the police. The event was immediately declared an illegal assembly and was harshly shut down by a force of 376 officers, making 135 arrests.
Also see: L.A. Video: Elysian Park's First Easter Love-In, 1967
